The Chicago Bears like to keep fans invested and then pull the rug out from under them. Sitting at 1-4, the Bears were playing good football and had a light part of their schedule coming up. Was there a chance for the team to get closer to .500 and at least stay in the mix of competing?
The Bears quickly answered that with a no. A loss to the Vikings shot them back to 1-5 and out of contention for good. What else is over for this team?
3. The Justin Fields era with the Chicago Bears will not happen
This year was a make-or-break season for Justin Fields. It is officially time to say that it is broken, almost like his hand currently feels. Justin Fields could not grip a football, so he could not come back to the game as the Chicago Bears lost to the Minnesota Vikings with Tyson Bagent leading the way.
Fields may miss time, and that may be for the best for both sides. It looks like this marriage is not going to last, and the Bears are going to take a quarterback in the upcoming draft. As they stand now, they not only have the second overall pick, they have the Panthers pick, which is first overall. They cannot only add a quarterback but also pair him with a legitimate defender or playmaker. This could change the Bears' future.
However, it does not include Justin Fields. You can blame the coaching, the offensive line, and the playmakers, but it does not matter. Fields had to show something this year. He played well against two bad defenses and has been a disaster beyond that. The Vikings' defense lacks talent, but they are well-coached, and Justin Fields looked overwhelmed. In year three, that cannot happen, no matter what the excuses are.
If he misses time, the losses will continue to pile up. That makes it more likely that whatever he does to close out the season is not enough.
2. The Chicago Bears offensive line continuity ended before it started
The Chicago Bears had a hope for their offensive line this summer, but it never came together. They wanted to see Braxton Jones, Teven Jenkins, Cody Whitehair, Nate Davis, and Darnell Wright as their group. They played zero snaps together.
Teven Jenkins and Nate Davis missed the start of the year, and then Braxton Jones was placed on the IR. In week six, they were able to put four of those lineman in their proper spots, which is more continuity than they have ever had. However, that ended rather briefly as well.
Nate Davis left quickly with an ankle injury and did not return. Worse than that, Cody Whitehair was awful. They are asking way too much of Whitehair, and they should have cut Whitehair, which fans and media thought was an obvious decision. Whitehair is not at the age, injury history, or position to succeed. They have been asking him to shuffle between center and guard, and after spending the whole summer, he was shifted to guard, only to be moved back to center now. It is a lot to ask of him, and he has never been a natural center. So, he had an awful game and was benched.
The Chicago Bears do not have any answer at center, they will not get Braxton Jones back, and Nate Davis is now banged up. Any hope for the offensive line flew out the window when they struggled with the Minnesota Vikings front that has not been able to get much push.
1. The Chicago Bears have to move on from Matt Eberflus
Matt Eberflus has to be in hot water. There were reports that he needed the win on Thursday Night Football to save his job. Now, with extra rest at home against a division foe who limped in without their best player, Eberflus saw his team struggle to do anything right.
His offense gave up a sack on their first play; his defense jumped offsides on their first play. The Vikings scored to close the half, and had 13 of their 19 points come off of turnovers. Whatever Matt Eberflus is preaching, it is not working because this team cannot win football games.
In year one, you can chalk it up to the rebuild. This year, the team has had winnable games on the table. Both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Minnesota Vikings were games that the Bears had plenty of chances to win. They also had the ball with a chance to score as time expired in both games. Both games ended with turnovers and losses.
The Bears will pick a quarterback in the 2024 NFL draft. They need to come into the new quarterback's career with a coach who is fresh, not one on the hot seat who may get fired and cause the quarterback to change coaches early into his career. The Bears have to move on from Matt Eberflus if they have any reservations at all, and they certainly have to right now.